TO THEM WE ARE DOGS
© RS Williams 9/20/2021
[For my Haitian brothers and sisters at the Texas border]
I look into their eyes
And I see
That they see
Someone much lesser
Someone who does not belong.
Out of place
Unfit for natures carved out intellect.
They pray to a higher god
Attend more righteous temples
And reap the blessings of the heavens above.
At the growl
At the whip
Of every cargo on every ship,
They own everything.
And in their hearts
They think they still own us.
They are the kings and queens of the earth
To them we are nothing
To them we are dogs.
But we are not,
And more importantly
We are not like them.
Dastardly
We are not
Manipulative
We are not
Explorers seeking evil
We are not
Legal liars
We are not.
In us there was no natural rage
When struck we spewed no venom.
Still, we need not retaliate.
We are the pride of Africa.
All the shackles
All the slashings
All the lynch mobs
Painstakingly endured
Reluctantly remolded.
But they have hardly changed an inkling
The only thing that’s changed:
They have updated their methods.
Barbarized
Commercialized
Collegized
Digitized
Memorialized.
But Tanzania is in our blood
The streets of Accra map our very veins
Princes and princesses of the Nile
We are
Surveyors of the Egyptian pyramids
We are
Charters of Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River
We Are
Silent seekers
We will always be
Searching for the souls of our stolen brothers and sisters.
They did not tell the whole story
And we will not correct it
If we are wise, then the sunlight is ours
For the days of hatefulness are limited
And soon, even their own will come to full recognition
Evil is evil
Hate is hate
And both respect no boundaries
If we seek truth, we will find it
When we find it
Then we will know
Sweet savoring victory
Long destined
From the toils of our fathers and mothers.
There is a God in heaven
And He is has no color.